Final Sunday – GMC Rangeland Derby

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People have been inquiring about the results of the Dash for Cash on Sunday evening’s GMC Rangeland Derby.

Troy Dorchester was the winner with a time of 1:18.40

Second place went to Doug Irvine, who had a time of 1:18.41

Third place went to Gary Gorst at 1:19.68

Fourth place to Jason Glass, whose running time of 1:18.29 was subject to a two second penalty for wagon interference at the start of the race. The penalty was imposed by the chuckwagon judges.

The Calgary Stampede supports the decision of the race judges.

*Update on July 19, 2012

We’ve had a lot of comments about the result of heat 9.

To recap, Jason Glass (Barrel #2) did cross the finish line ahead of Troy Dorchester (Barrel #4), but was not the winner of the race due to a two second interference penalty.

We’re going to provide three things that will help explain the ruling. This is out of the ordinary, but we acknowledge the level of interest from fans.

  • Firstly, some responses to the main questions fans are asking.
  • Secondly, some still photos from the track video feed that the judges would have referred to in their ruling (this is a different feed from the CBC feed). You should also know that earlier this week, I invited Jason Glass to review the track video and he declined.
  • Thirdly, chuckwagon commentator Billy Melville has offered his independent account of the race. It will appear as a comment to keep the length of this post manageable.

The Rangeland Derby has a review system in place unique to the sport of chuckwagon racing.  Unlike many sports (e.g. football, hockey, tennis) where referees make calls during the play, we are fortunate in that our judges have the benefit of studying the various camera angles and slow motion replays before assessing penalties.  They are also given the power to delay making a ruling until they are certain of their decision.  And just like other sports, not everyone will agree with every ruling.  The judges must have the complete authority to render a binding decision.

I trust this will put to rest to the claims of an unfair ruling.

Thanks – Keith

Why weren’t the final heat results (and championship) explained to the fans, sponsors and the drivers?

We agree that the communication surrounding heat 9 results could have been better.  Because we are trying to create anticipation and excitement for the championship presentation that goes live on stage, our normal practice is not to put heat 9 results up on the boards, or make verbal mention of the results. As soon as the winner is announced in front of the live audience, the onstage announcer cannot review penalties and placement of all the wagons in the heat as the production is moving too fast and we are focused on the winner of the Derby. A similar situation happened in 2009 with Chad Harden winning after another driver took a penalty but also crossed the finish line first. That penalty was probably more apparent to those watching, but no explanation was provided to the audience. We will review this process for future with an intent to better communicate to the audience so that they can better understand the race results.

It looked as though Gary Gorst’s wagon was out of lane. Did that force Jason Glass out of lane? Why was Glass penalized?

The Rangeland Derby does not have an out of lane rule.  Being out of lane is permissible, providing that it does not create interference with another wagon. The judges ruled that Gary Gorst’s lane position did not cause Jason Glass to go into lane 1 and determined that there was adequate room for Glass to be safely positioned between the Gorst and Irvine wagons. The judges ruled Glass’ wagon interfered with Irvine’s. You’ll see three still images below from footage used by the judges to render their decision.

Image 1 – as Glass turns into off his bottom barrel, onto track he’s clearly heading into lane 1 with no pressure on his outside. Irvine makes a tight turn into his lane at the bottom of his barrel.

Image 2 shows Irvine and Glass in the same lane. Irvine is where he is supposed to be. Glass is inside of lane marker, with no pressure outside.

And as you look at Image 3 you can see Glass’ right leader on top of the lane 1 marker.

So when the CBC commentator said “Doug Irvine comes a little wide….” referencing  Irvine’s turn on the bottom barrel, he was mistaken. Irvine made a tight turn into the middle of lane 1, his designated lane.  The video replay clearly shows it is Glass’ wagon that is in Irvine’s lane by a full wagon width and the chalk mark in question is in fact the number 1 lane marker. In the end, Irvine did not swing wide and Gorst’s wagon is permitted to be in lane 2 as long as it does not create interference with another wagon, which it did not.

What is the exact procedure for judging?

All judging is done in the video replay room located in the Eye in the Sky.  There are 8 judges (4 wagon and 4 barrel) reviewing each race for penalties and infractions.  Four ‘spotters’ are located around the track, providing information back to the judges. Four cameras provide unique angles and views of the races, not available to the live or at home audience. The judging coordinator leads the eight judges through a thorough review of every race, utilizing a variety of camera angles, slow motion replay and image freezing. The judge’s decision is usually determined by the start of the next race, but may take longer in certain circumstances in order to ensure a proper decision has been made.  The emphasis is upon making the right calls, even if more time is required.